


if you'll wait around awhile i'll make you fall for me

by leozeo



Series: the marshal & the mandalorian [2]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Keldabe Kiss, M/M, Slow Burn, it's my canon divergence and i make the rules, rating may go up we shall see, sequel to the first story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27556909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leozeo/pseuds/leozeo
Summary: The stranger Din once saw in Mos Eisley was now a friend, an ally, and maybe more.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin & Cobb Vanth, Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Series: the marshal & the mandalorian [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014228
Comments: 36
Kudos: 209





	1. the marshal

**Author's Note:**

> direct sequel to 'the outlaw with the big iron on his hip' but you can kinda understand both by themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as of 07/12/2020 this has been rewritten and another 2 chapters are on the way ♥

Cobb’s fingers itched to take that helmet off, to see who’s underneath that shiny helmet that caught his eye those months ago and again yesterday when he rode on into Mos Pelgo on a speeder bike. Maybe it was for the best that he didn’t find out, but the urge was still there. 

Would always be there. 

After slaying the krayt dragon with a joint effort from not only the Tusken’s but also the townspeople from Mos Pelgo, he’d handed over the beskar that belonged to the Mandalorian’s people.

“The armor, as promised,” he passed the jetpack and armor over to the Mandalorian and their fingers brushed. It was the only thing Cobb could focus on, that and the sliver of skin as the other man’s wrist flexed to take the helmet off him. Cobb was just going to blame his skin going red on the heat, yeah that’d work. 

The armor would be missed, sure, but the people now had the Tusken’s, and also had a little more confidence to stand up for themselves. For that, Cobb was glad. How the Mando had essentially given the people a new lease on life, that maybe they would all be brave enough to get Mos Pelgo put back on the map properly this time. The Tusken language is just something Cobb would have to add to his dialect now and he was, surprisingly, willing to learn. 

The Mandalorian had made such a difference in all their lives in just a few hours, and completely dispelled the rumours that they were all just dirty, no good, bounty hunters, with nothing under their helmets. At least, this Mando wasn’t, and that’s all Cobb cared about. 

“I hope our paths cross again soon,” Cobb held his hand out for the Mando to shake and the other man took it, not shaking, just holding it, gloved fingers curling around his wrist. His heart sped up. 

“As do I,” was all the Mando said, the Child looking back and forth between them and their exchange. Their hands were clasped together for what Cobb thought was too long for it to be a platonic exchanged between two people. It verged on handholding.

Not that he minded. 

“Oh and tell your people I wasn’t the one who damaged that,” Cobb pointed to the jetpack as Mando finally let go. “I don’t wanna get myself into any more trouble,” As the Marshal walked away, he could tell he was being watched and turned as he walked, finding that silver helmet looking right at him. 

Cobb smiled to himself as he heard the Mandalorian’s speeder bike take off back toward Mos Eisley. He went back to helping his people divvy up the meat between them and the Tusken’s when the Weequay bartender stopped him. 

“Go,” the Weequay said, pushing his shoulder gently.

Cobb tilted his head to the side, “We’ll leave when we’re done here. We need to get—.”

“No, go after _him_ ,” The bartender pointed to Cobb’s own speeder bike that the Tusken’s had kindly towed along with the Mandalorian’s bike. “The Mandalorian. Go.”

Cobb suddenly felt his self-confidence drain out from him, "I don't think I should. He's hardly an acquaintance." 

"I haven't seen that sparkle in your eyes for years," the Weequay pointed out. "Last time was when you found that armor and saved us. I won't tell you again, Marshal."

“I’ll be back,” Cobb strapped his blaster rifle to the speeder bike next to the emergency pack he put on there in case things went sideways.

The Weequay smiled at him and shook his head, “No, you won’t.”

The Marshal just stared at the Weequay whose name he never learnt but built such a friendship with, they embraced, and Cobb tried to etch every single face into his memory. He was finally, hopefully, leaving Tatooine. This wretched ball of sand. Cobb fastened his sand goggles and pulled his red scarf over his mouth, tightening it around the back of his head. He mock saluted to everyone before taking off, pushing the speeder bike to its limits to try and catch up with the Mando.

Cobb raced over the dunes and through a near empty Mos Pelgos, the bike picking up dust and sand as it zipped through, barely a blur to anyone watching. He’s really glad he chose to upcycle that old podracer. He slowed as there was smoke approaching on the horizon, he already had something to trade the Tusken’s if they stopped him, but it wasn’t them at all.

It was the wreckage of a speeder bike. 

The _Mandalorian’s_ speeder bike. 

Judging by the bodies left behind as he got closer, the Mandalorian had won what looked to be an ambush. Cobb had dealt with his fair share of ambushes when travelling to and from Mos Pelgo for supply runs, so he knew what this was. He didn’t have a doubt in his mind that Mando survived and Cobb’s heart slowed down from beating against his chest, but only slightly. He still had to find Mando and his kid first before his anxieties would ebb, even if the tug in his gut told him that they were alive. 

A trail of footprints was barely visible as the wind picked up. Cobb deducted that the Mando took up walking back to Mos Eisley, otherwise they would’ve been stuck out here and Cobb’s speeder bike only had room for one. Although, after having to share a Bantha with the other man on their hike toward the krayt dragons lair, Cobb decided he wasn’t opposed to squishing up real tight like that again.

The Marshal continued his course to Mos Eisley, determined to find the Mandalorian and his Child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like making hints that cobb is [redacted]..... cobb is [redacted] 
> 
> hehe


	2. the goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din makes it to Mos Eisley in one piece where a familiar face waits for him

Sand dragged under Din’s feet as he tried to stay upright walking into Mos Eisley. The Child murmured where he was being carried in the knapsack, looking up at Din, visibly worried. He hoped the Child was okay from their tumble during the ambush. Even though Din had managed to fight off the assailants and save the Child’s life, Din still wanted to check on him once they were safe aboard the Razor Crest. 

His shoulders were on fire carrying all of their belongings as well as the krayt dragon meat, back to the Crest. He approached the hangar door, but it didn’t slide open, Din stretched to reach the panel and it beeped at him. Din sighed and deflated, he felt like shit and just wanted to get on the Crest and get out of his now sweaty beskar. He couldn’t leave any of this here or it’d be stolen in an instant, so Din adjusted the broken speeder bike handle on his shoulders and headed for the cantina to find Peli. 

Din looked toward the scrapyard where he first saw Cobb Vanth those months ago. He wished, in the back of his mind, that the man was here, coming with him. Not that Din wanted to admit to himself that he needed the help, and that Cobb proved himself to be worthy of wearing the beskar’gam. That he wouldn’t mind the company.

That he wouldn’t mind Cobb invading his personal space. 

Din shook his head as he entered the cantina. There wasn’t enough room on the Crest and as if Cobb would just leave Mos Pelgo and his people unprotected, vulnerable, even if they have the Tusken’s help now. Still, Din couldn’t hide that during their short time together he felt something. Like the way he did with Omera. But she had ties to her planet and Din couldn’t dare take her away from that, even if it hurt. Though the way Cobb spoke made it sound like he didn’t want to die on Tatooine, he had nothing keeping him here anymore, and maybe Din presented him with the perfect way out. 

Din spotted Peli eventually as the cantina started to fill up with patrons for the night. She was playing cards with some bug creature he’d seen before. Din watched as she did a double take when he stood in front of their table. Peli pointed at the other helmet hanging there. 

“You finally found a Mandalorian and ya’ killed him,” she said, and her attention went back to the card game, watching the insect across from her. 

“He wasn’t a Mandalorian,” Din said as a matter-of-faculty. He decided to leave out the part he was going to say about Cobb being the one who had the beskar and the thought of leaving it with him after they killed the dragon that went through his mind. “I bought his armor off him, though.”

Peli looked up at Din briefly, “What’d that set you back?”

“Killed the krayt dragon for him.” With him. Another thing Din left out. 

Peli rolled her eyes, “Oh? Is that all? Not every day you go to all the effort killin’ a krayt dragon for a man you just met.”

She was right and Din ignored the feelings bubbling to the surface. He wasn't ready to face those just yet.

Din shifted the handle on his shoulders to a spot that wasn’t sore, “He was my last lead on finding other Mandalorians.”

Peli put her cards down and turned to Din, “I’ve been speaking to Doctor Mandible here, he says he can connect you with someone who can help… only if you cover his call this round.” She picks up her cards again, looking somewhat sheepish. “It’s what he said.”

“What’s the bet?” he highly doubted that’s what the creature said but Din was desperate for any leads. 

“Five hundred.”

“That’s a high stakes game…”

“He’s on a hot streak.” 

Din grabbed his credit pouch from his back pocket and hesitated, “I don’t have time for this, Peli.”

“Oh, stop whining, you want the help or not?” She held her cards closer to her chest. It made Din realise that this was a trap. He put the pouch on the table anyway. “Is the pot right?” Dr Mandible made a series of clicks. “Ha! Idiots array! Pay up, thorax!” 

Din sighed beneath his helmet, “I thought you said he was on a hot streak?”

Peli gathered up all the credits and laughed, “Stop your crying, you’ll rust!”

Dr Mandible started clicking again and Din waited for the mechanic to translate. He just wanted to hurry up before he collapsed. It was taking every ounce of energy left to concentrate standing right now and Peli was testing his patience. 

“Alright, he says the contact will rendezvous at the hangar. They’ll tell you where to find some Mandalorians. That’s what you wanted right?” Peli pocketed the now full pouches and gently shoved Din toward the door. 

“Yes.”

“Well, stop your mopin’. More importantly did you bring back any of that dragon meat? I’m starving.”

On their way back to the hangar Peli took some of the stuff from him after they bickered their way through Mos Eisley and Din eventually caved and gave her the other Mandalorian armor and his own jetpack. He knew she wanted to carry the Child but right now Din felt he was safer around his neck. 

The closer they got to the hangar; Din could see something shift in the shadows as the twin suns had finished setting. The blaster pistol strapped to his thigh was almost halfway out before he noticed a familiar speeder bike and it was then the figure made themselves known, stepping into the light. 

Din tripped over himself and almost dropped the rest of his stuff, Peli grabbing his arm before he could eat sand and potentially squish the baby. A hand reached out and held his bicep and Din still didn’t think this was real, staring up into Cobb Vanth’s eyes from under his helmet that he wished he could take off right now to stare back. 

“Whoa there,” Cobb said, helping Peli keep Din upright and helped the Mando into the hangar bay. “Didn’t mean to scare you that much.” 

Peli poked him with her finger against his chest, “This the man you killed the krayt dragon for?”

Cobb’s confused look and Din’s nod was enough of an answer for the mechanic as she took the dragon meat from the Mandalorian and handed him back all the beskar’gam. Both men watched her walk away hauling the slab of meat behind her as she was yelling at her droids to ‘ _get a fire started or something_ ’.

“You alright?” Cobb asked as both men walked up the ramp of the Razor Crest. 

“Why are you here?” Din deflected the question and took the Child out of his knapsack, his little legs carried him as he ran down the ramp toward the food. 

Cobb fell silent and looked right into Din’s eyes without knowing it, “I—Um, for you?” it sounded like a question, like Cobb wasn’t sure why he was here. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” Din hadn’t meant to say that out loud and Cobb’s hurt expression made him freeze. He didn’t want this to happen again. Instead of Omera, now it was Cobb and Din was making the same choice to stay solitary. 

Just him and the Child. 

It didn’t have to be.

The Marshal ran a hand through his hair and gestured between the two of them, “Was I readin’ this wrong?”

Din quickly looked down the ramp to make sure Peli was out of view before he put a hand on Cobb’s chest, pushing him against the wall of the Crest and covering Cobb’s eyes with his hand. Din lifted his helmet enough to press their lips together in a chaste kiss before he retreated, fixing his helmet back into place. 

“No,” Din straightened out his belt to busy his hands before he had the urge to kiss Cobb again. “You weren’t.”

Cobb’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he gave up and just nodded, a hand pressed to his lips as he sighed, staring right at Din. “Right. Okay. I—”

“I know, but I’ll be back eventually, and I’ll come find you.”

Peli called up to them and he knew her contact was here. It was time to go. Din didn’t want it to be, he wanted to stay here with Cobb just a little longer. Sure, the Marshal could come with him but that wasn’t an option. Din would come back; he’d fallen for the other man too hard not to. He just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake he might not forgive himself for by leaving Cobb behind. 

“I promise,” Din said, barely a whisper, tears prickling in his eyes. 

Cobb smiled at him, “I’m holding you to that, Mando.”

“Din… My name is Din Djarin.”

That much he could offer Cobb. 

The Marshal nodded and touched the side of his helmet. Din held Cobb’s hand there with his own and brought his helmet down gently to rest against Cobb’s forehead. He could just hear the sigh the Marshal had let out before Din let him go. He watched Cobb make his way down the ramp. It took everything within Din not to reach for him, to let Cobb leave, and his heart hurt. 

Din noticed he didn’t leave straight away, a series of noises and clicks echoing through the hangar. He made his way down the ramp slowly and found Cobb and Peli in conversation with a… Frog Lady. 

“Oh good,” Peli said, dragging Din over to them. He tried not to pay attention to Cobb staring at him. “This is my contact. She can lead you to the others.”

“What is she saying?” Din picked the Child up from the ground and held him on his hip. “Can you trust her?”

“Sure! I’ve only known her for a few minutes, but she seems nice enough,” Peli smiled the most innocent smile. 

“Her husband is on the planet Trask, says he knows people who know the Mandalorian’s that hang around the docks,” Cobb spoke up and Din forced himself to acknowledge it. 

Din tilted his head, “You know what they’re saying?”

Cobb nodded and crossed his arms, defensive, “You pick up a lot of languages ‘round these parts.”

“You’re dumber than you look, Mandalorian,” Peli announced as she gathered some of Din’s gear to carry up to the Crest. “She needs to get to Trask so her husband can fertilize the eggs.”

“I’m not a taxi service.”

Peli shrugged, “I didn’t say you were, _but_ if you want help, she’s the only chance you got.”

The Frog Lady patted Cobb’s shoulder after she said something, and the Marshal smiled at her. He looked right at Din and just as quickly turned his gaze to Peli, “Ma’am.” Cobb shot a half-hearted glare at him before he exited the hangar bay. Din deserved that. The Child whined as he watched Cobb leave. 

Peli and Din began packing up the Crest, “lettin’ a fine man walk out like that? You are somethin’ else, Mando.”

“He can’t come with me.”

“Why not? Last I checked it ain’t in your little Mando handbook not to get involved,” Peli said. “Besides, you killed a krayt dragon for him.”

“That proves nothing.”

Peli shook her head and resigned herself to losing the argument, “Whatever. May the Force protect you, I guess.”

Din watched Peli disappear as the Crest’s hangar door closed shut. He held the Child tight and the feel of Cobb’s lips on his decided to be his only thought as they flew through sub-space.

-

Cobb stood outside of hangar 3-5 and watched the Mandal—no, watched Din’s ship rise into the Tatooine night sky and take off, fading into the stars. His heart sank deep into his chest and he didn’t much like this feeling. The feeling of watching someone he now cared about flying away, left only with the memory of Din’s lips pressing against his. All Cobb could think about was the last time someone he cared about left, it was for the Rebellion and the only thing he got back was the red scarf now tied around his neck. 

Cobb sighed and kicked the sand frustratedly as he mounted his speeder bike. The front door to the hangar slid open suddenly and the mechanic popped her head out, looking around before leaving to approach Cobb. 

“Why don’t you bring your bike in here and stay? No use you tryin’ to get back to Mos Pelgo tonight,” Cobb nods and that answer is enough for her as she leads him to the back entrance of the hangar where he can properly store his bike away from thieving Jawas. “I don’t wanna find you all mangled out there, Mando would have my head on a pike with them Stormtroopers.” 

The Marshal had to agree with her, there was no way he was going to travel to Mos Pelgo while it was nightfall, regardless if the Tusken’s would leave him alone or not, they weren’t what Cobb was worried about. There were far worse creatures out in Tatooine than a couple of Tusken Raiders. 

Like a krayt dragon, for instance. 

“I never got your name, I’m Cobb Vanth,” he held out his gloved hand toward the mechanic. 

“Peli Motto,” she clasped it and roughly shook his hand, letting go to focus on the dragon meat being cooked. “I can see why Mando likes you. Easy on the eyes, kind as all hell, and I bet you’re good with a blaster, huh?”

“Uh, sure,” Cobb said, not convinced that was entirely why. He didn’t even get a chance to talk to Din and clear a few things up. Although, the kiss sure did. 

“Oh, don’t sell yourself so short, Cobb,” Peli said over a mouthful of food, and Cobb found himself starting to like the engineer. “You and Mando, you’re probably more alike than you realise.” 

Cobb just nodded along to Peli’s rambling as they ate. He was far too distracted with everything that had just happened in the last few minutes and his brain was finally catching up on it. Catching up on what Din had said before Cobb was pushed against the wall of the ship and still trying to decide whether it was real or not. 

“He’ll be back,” Peli said as she packed up the hangar for the night. “Don’t dwell on it or you’ll make yourself sick. We all lost someone to the war, it’ll just bring up bad memories.”

“Thank you,” Cobb meant it. Now he was also beginning to realise why Din liked Peli so much.

“Don’t sweat it.”

The rest of the night was a blur as Cobb was too far in his own head to pay attention to anything. He followed one of Peli’s pit droids as it lead him to the bunk she had in the hangar. Peli told Cobb he could stay here, and she returned home, saying she’d be back bright and early. Cobb knew she’d expect money, so he sorted his credits before he went to sleep. No one did anything for free on Tatooine.   
Except maybe Cobb Vanth when it involved a certain Mandalorian.

Cobb dreamed of a shiny Mandalorian helmet and the person underneath it, and made himself sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been missin' ur keldabe kisses   
> idk where this is going and it's mostly self-indulgent bc why not  
> i don't have a set schedule for updates it all relies on my work week
> 
> thanks for reading it means the world ♥


	3. the identity crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cobb's thoughts on tatooine and din has an identity crisis upon meeting more mandalorian's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> swaps between POVs

Sitting in the freezing cockpit of the Razor Crest as it left that snowy hell planet behind, Din regretted his decision to leave Cobb behind. He certainly realised from that experience with the spider-creature, Din could’ve used an extra blaster and a translator. Maybe an extra pair of eyes to keep watch over the Child. Din really needed to get them both a decent meal before they started to go insane.

The Frog lady was asleep, clutching her eggs, so Din pulled the Child into his lap before he could take anymore. He tried to nap for their long flight to Trask but all Din could think about was the hurt expression that took away Cobb’s smile. _He did that_. 

It didn’t sit right with Din. 

As he closed his eyes, he saw the Marshal. His salt and pepper hair disheveled, one of Din’s gloved hands pushed up under Cobb’s linen shirt as their bodies pressed together. Small noises coming from Cobb’s mouth as they rocked against each other. Din felt a hand in his hair and immediately jumped from his seat, accidentally waking the Child. His hand shot up and found he still had his helmet on. And much to his continual disappointment, Cobb wasn’t on the ship. 

Din didn’t know how long he’d slept for, but Trask was now in view and the cockpit had defrosted. The Razor Crest lurched and began its steep descent down toward the planet’s surface. He took the Child off his lap and placed him in the other seat, making sure he was buckled in safely. 

“Pull this back and don’t let it go,” Din ordered the Frog Lady, whether she could understand him or not, it would have to do. Their communication could’ve gone a whole lot better if Cobb had been with them. 

Din swore to himself in Mando’a.

The cockpit heated up as they plummeted downward, and Din used that momentum to hit the reverse thrusters before they could crash land. The Crest groaned and pitched sideways into the ocean. So much for that. 

A Mon Calamari didn’t look impressed at all as the Crest was hauled out of the water. 

Din helped the Frog Lady strap her eggs to her back and he grabbed the Child as they left the Crest and stepped onto the main dock of Trask. 

“Do what you can with it,” Din told the Mon Calamari and handed him most of the credits he had left. He really needed to get him and the kid some food. 

The Frog Lady made a noise to his left and he watched as she reunited with her husband. Something stirred in Din’s chest and in the back of his mind that’s what he wanted. And he could have that. Din looked back toward his ship and thought about the other set of Mandalorian armor he stored away where no one could find it. He thought about Cobb, mostly, with the beskar’gam on. 

The two of them together. Fighting side by side. Looking after the Child. A family.

The Child looked up at him from his cot and started babbling. A cloaked figure was watching them across from the docks and Din stared back from beneath his helmet. They disappeared and the baby whined. 

Back on task it is then. 

The Frog Lady’s husband pointed to a ship and Din guessed that’d be the ship to take him to the other Mandalorian’s. He thanked them before he boarded and stood away from the crew so they wouldn’t get in their way. Din guessed this was a trawler but the caged deck in the middle of the boat piqued his interest. No one had said anything about a location and the captain told him he’d take credits upon their arrival, but something didn’t sit right with Din.

“Wanna see what a Mamacore eats?” A Quarren crewman had said as he approached Din. “Might be interesting for the little one.”

Din shrugged, “Sure.” That explained what was on their ship. He pulled the tethered pram toward the cage and stopped just short of it. “That’s far enough.”

The Quarren deckhand released the fish caught in the net, “Huh, she must be hungry today.”

It was as the Mamcore surfaced things went sideways and before Din could even react, the Quarren had pushed the Child’s pram into the enclosure. He didn’t have enough time to pull the tether back to him and Din watched in horror as the Mamacore’s teeth closed around the metal pod. The Child acted quicker than Din, pushing the button to close his capsule. As the Mamacore fully captured the pram and disappeared Din’s instincts went into overdrive and he dived into the enclosure without thinking, diving right into their trap. 

There was a metal clang as he watched the cage close. 

“Your beskar is worth more than your life, Mandalorian,” The Quarren spat. 

Din struggled to breathe under his helmet as water kept splashing up into it. He took as deep a breath he could before he dived down again. The Mamacore was nowhere to be found and Din was getting desperate. He breached the surface again and was choking as he held onto the bars, the Quarren’s poking fishing spears into him to try and drown him. The only thing keeping Din up was his jetpack as their spears were deflected by his beskar. 

This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be how Din died. Breaking the promise to return the Child to his home and his promise made to Cobb. Din’s eyes watered as he choked on the salty water and blamed his tears on almost drowning. Shots rang out around the ship and he didn’t register it until he was face to face with another Mandalorian helmet. 

The cage retracted and that same Mandalorian reached out their hand, pulling him up onto the ship’s deck. Din coughed out as much water as he could beneath his helmet, crawling to sit upright. 

“The… Child…” he managed to choke out. He noticed two other Mandalorian’s and one of them dived into the Mamacore enclosure. Din shook as he waited, praying to whatever Gods were listening that his kid was okay. That he was still alive. Blaster shots rang out under the water and the Mandalorian surfaced, shooting up into the air and landing on the deck. 

“Here you go, little one,” she handed the Child back to Din, who took him straight away. 

Din sighed in relief and held the kid closer to him, “Thank you.”

“Any time, _vod_ ,” one of them said. 

Din looked up and their helmets were gone, he recoiled and stood, backing away from the group. “Where did you get that armor?” The Child looked back and forth between the helmetless Mandalorian’s and Din. 

The woman with red hair stepped forward, “This armor has been in my family for three generations.”

“You do not cover your face. You are _not_ Mandalorian.”

They all scoffed at Din’s proclamation, “He’s one of _them_.”

“Dank farrik.”

Din held the kid away from the trio, “One of what?”

“I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze,” she started to explain, as if that would make Din any less frustrated. “I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge. I am the last of my line… and you, are a Child of the Watch.”

“The Watch?” this didn’t make any sense to Din. “What about the Watch?”

“Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Their goal was to re-establish the ancient way.”

Din’s fist clenched and unclenched. He had questions, _so many questions_. He knew this Bo-Katan would be the one source to find the Jedi, by creed she had to. “There is only one way. The way of the Mandalore.” Even in that statement, Din doubted himself. 

As Din activated his jetpack and took off into the sky, the sun setting on Trask turning everything orange, he began to question himself. His covert. His way. 

What if Bo-Katan was right? 

**** ****

** TATOOINE **

Peli wouldn’t take Cobb’s credits in the morning, which surprised him. She said she had already made enough from Mando and he chuckled at that. When Peli announced a ship was docking into her hangar bay, Cobb couldn’t stop his heart from speeding up. She looked at him and shook her head, no, it wasn’t Din. But he knew that already. In the short time they had spent together he knew what the other man’s presence felt like.

It wasn’t him. 

That was Cobb’s queue to leave. Peli sent him on his way with some leftover dragon meat and a canteen full of water. He’d make it back to Mos Pelgo by the time the suns set, but he appreciated it nonetheless. 

“Next time you’re in Mos Eisley, come find me. I can get ya’ parts way better than that cheapskate across the sands,” they shook hands and Cobb waved to her as he left Mos Eisley. 

Cobb passed a camp of Tusken’s and slowed down when he recognised the pair of binocs. They waved him over and he stopped his speeder bike. He knew the hand signal for water and by the rock formations, knew he was only a few more minutes away from Mos Pelgo. He handed over the canteen and they signed thank you back to him. Cobb took the opening to leave and pushed the bike as fast as it could go back to the small town. 

They watched him as he entered, some waved and Cobb waved back. He parked outside the cantina and hopped off the bike, walking into the bar. The Weequay had to do a doubletake to make sure that yes, it was the Marshal who just walked in. 

“What happened?” the bartender asked, getting Cobb spotchka without even being prompted. 

Cobb waved it away, “He didn’t want me to go with him.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘ _and_ ’?” 

The Weequay just smiled at him, “Clearly something happened, or you’d be in a sourer mood.”

“Ah, the sparkle, huh?” the Marshal glanced around the cantina at other patrons and leaned in close, “He kissed me.”

Cobb flinched as he was slapped on the arm by a smiling Weequay, “Fantastic! I knew he liked you.”

“Well, apparently it’s impossible to hate me,” Cobb decided that yes, he’d have a glass of spotchka before turning in for the night. And he smiled to himself on the ride back to his hut. 

**** ****

** TRASK **

Din helped Bo-Katan and her team take an imperial freighter, he was happy to do so. He hated the Empire as much as the next person for what they did to his parents, to his child. But that was as far as he was going on this journey as it wasn’t meant for him. He got the information he needed to find the Jedi.

Din’s heart sank at the thought of parting ways with the kid as he walked back to the Razor Crest. He looked up at his ship and frowned, the Child made a noise and Din agreed. “I gave you one thousand credits to fix it.”

The Mon Calamari shrugged, “I told ya’ I’d make it fly. It’ll still go into hyperspace if that’s what you’re worried about, Mando.” He held back a groan and pressed his thumb to the datapad to complete the transaction. 

Din climbed up to the cockpit and strapped the Child into the seat. He worked around the fishing nets and fishing line to power the Crest up. “Mon Calamari,” Din groaned in disgust at the state of his ship. She took off rough and he highly doubted the Crest could make the jump. 

Once they cleared the planet Din input coordinates into the Crest and hoped that his ship would survive the trip through hyperspace. He turned toward the Child and scratched his head with a gloved hand, “We’ll be safe soon, I’ll get the Crest fixed and then we’ll go find your people, okay?” The Razor Crest groaned as it exited hyperspace and Din turned back around, he smiled to himself as tears he couldn’t stop ran down his face under his helmet. Tears from exhaustion? From finding out he may not even be a real Mandalorian? Din didn’t know. 

But he did know one thing, or one _person_ , who could help. 

Ground control got on the comms and let him know hangar 3-5 wasn’t available but that didn’t matter, he wasn’t going to the hangar. 

Din Djarin had a promise to keep to a lonely Marshal in Mos Pelgo. If he’d have him, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this whole thing listening to acca dacca (ac/dc for my non-aussies lol) what a vibe honestly  
> dropping hints about cobb... dropping more hints soon  
> it's a lot longer to make up for that. i took some liberties and changed the events of chapter 11 around a bit.   
> initially i was all for din taking the helmet off until now, hopefully it's respectful enough to din, any inaccuracies pls let me know
> 
> thanks for reading pardners ♥♥


	4. the reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as din struggles with an internal battle of who he is, he returns to tatooine to seek help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna start off by saying thank you to everyone reading and commenting. it means the absolute world ♥
> 
> this has been rewritten ☺

The ground shook in the small town of Mos Pelgo and woke up Cobb (who grumbled only slightly) and most likely the rest of the people asleep. He searched around for a pair of pants and slipped them on, running up the stairs of his dwelling and slamming the button on the door. As it slid open, the Marshal is greeted with a familiar ship slowly falling apart. The smell of fish and salt water briefly passed his nose as the breeze picked up. The ramp of the ship groaned open and Cobb winces as it shudders and halts to a stop about halfway down. The echo of it sounding like something akin to a krayt dragon. 

Some other residents have come out to see the commotion but Cobb waves them off. The Tusken Raider’s who set up camp for the night don’t seem to move as they’re happy to sit there and watch. Cobb has a feeling they know its Din’s ship and poses no threat. They go back to their campfire and keep to themselves. They’re only here stopping by for water and a safe place to camp, and Cobb was more than happy to let them. His signing is still choppy but he’s a fast learner. 

Speaking of the Mandalorian in question, a figure emerges from the ships flickering lights holding what Cobb assumes is the child. He approaches the ship and looks up at Din who kneels down and wordlessly hands him the little one. After adjusting the kid on his hip Cobb holds up a hand and is pleasantly surprised as Din grips it and helps him jump down. 

“Thanks,” Din says, but doesn’t release Cobb’s hand straight away. The two men staring at each other in the dark, holding hands. He’s not exactly opposed to this. The stars making Din’s helmet look like it’s sparkling. 

The Child makes a whining noise and it’s like the bubble around them is popped, both men taking their hands back. “You’re welcome,” Cobb said quickly. He tilts his head toward his dwelling. “You wanna come on inside?”

Din nods and Cobb can barely make it out, but he takes the silence as a yes and starts walking, Din’s boots jingling behind him. They don’t talk as he leads the way back to his dwelling and down the stairs to the main living area. Cobb knows Din doesn’t talk much as it is, but something feels off, and he wants to know what happened the whole three days Din was gone. Cobb suspects he might have to force it out of the Mandalorian but he’s a patient man, and he knows Din will tell him when he’s good and ready. 

“Your ship doesn’t look too good,” Cobb starts as his finger gets caught in the kids’ hand and pokes it into his belly lightly, getting a giggle. “I’m surprised you didn’t go to Peli first.”

“The hangar was already occupied,” is all Din says. Like it’s supposed to explain why he’s here and not getting his ship fixed. Cobb wants to believe Din is here for him. 

Cobb hums, “So you came here instead.” He was still mad at Din but now that the man in question was standing right in front of him, he couldn’t stay mad any longer. 

“I didn’t know where else to go,” Din’s voice is quiet, and he sounds choked up. The tone of his voice makes Cobb walk over to him. 

“Are you alright?”

Din breaks then, bearing all his weight onto Cobb who, juggling a child and a Mandalorian, sets them all down on the couch softer than he expected. The helmet digs into Cobb’s cheek a bit, but he doesn’t mind the coolness of it. He sets the child on the small table in front of them as Din’s arms snake around his back, pulling him to his chest. Cobb forgot for a second, he was shirtless, and now he does mind the cold beskar. 

“Mando,” Cobb whispers, his hand on Din’s hip and a thumb rubbing small circles to try calm him. The other man doesn’t move. “Din.” He tries again, louder this time. “Why don’t you go have a shower and I’ll get the little one settled.”

The helmet nods against his cheek and Din peels himself off Cobb wordlessly. He waits until Cobb tells him where the refresher is and stands up and leaves. The only sound in Cobb’s dwelling is the ‘fresher door opening and closing. He picks the child up and carries him to his room, making a small nest of blankets on the end of the bed and placing the little one in the middle. 

“There ya’ go,” Cobb bops his little green nose as he wiggles about. “All snug. I do hope your daddy is okay.” He admits to the child quietly. He goes quiet and looks up at Cobb with those big brown eyes. “It’s okay, kid. We’ll figure it out.”

A shadow at the door gets his attention and Din is standing there in his blacks, armor under his arm, and helmet still on his head. “I can sleep on the couch.” He announces. 

Cobb goes to suggest that Din stays in here instead but that’s not what comes out, “The bed is big enough for two. Three countin’ the kid. I’m sure we can be civilised adults about this.” Din’s body language suggests that’s not the answer he wants. “You want me to wear a blindfold, then?”

“I don’t care.”

“Then shut up and get in the bed.”

Cobb opens his bedside table and takes out the red scarf, tying it around his eyes as he feels the bed dip. He pulls the covers up and sleeps on his side, facing away from Din. A small metal clunk indicates that yes, Din took his helmet off. He can tell the Mandalorian is still unsettled, conflicted emotions rolling off him like waves. So Cobb turns back around, a hand on his face to stop the makeshift blindfold from slipping, and asks Din what happened while he was away.

The dam breaks and Din tells him everything. From the ice planet with the spider like creatures to finding the other Mandalorians on Trask. Told Cobb about how the kid was almost Mamacore food, and how out of place he felt around this Bo-Katan and her team. Cobb tensed at the name and wrote it off as not liking what she had said to Din, clearly embarrassing the man. This was obviously the reason for the spiraling emotions and the identity crisis. Cobb didn’t like it one bit. Din needed some clear guidance right now and it seemed an unbiased view from a non-Mando could do the trick.

“What if Bo-Katan is wrong?” Cobb questioned and could hear a sigh next to his ear. “The way I see it, she caught you when you were vulnerable and played that to her advantage.”

Din grunted, “maybe…”

Cobb wanted to rub his face but couldn’t, “Look, I know you’re conflicted right now, but I wouldn’t believe someone I’ve just met. She’s a Mandalorian, sure, but how do you know she’s right? Just trust what you’ve been taught and ignore her.” He could say the same about himself but Cobb likes to think that spending two days with the man put them on a level of mutual trust.

“What _if_ she _is_ right?” Din’s voice was no more than a whisper. Cobb felt around blindly until he found the other man’s hand and squeezed it, lacing their fingers together.

“The Watch is all you’ve known. _So what_ if you keep your helmet on?” Cobb considered his words and wanted to reassure Din. “It protects your identity from the galaxy. People might know your name and your reputation, but they don’t know your face. To me, that’s an advantage.”

“That is the way,” a reply Cobb was expecting.

“Exactly. You became a Mandalorian during a time where it wasn’t safe for them to exist at all,” Cobb sighed and shuffled closer to Din. “Bo-Katan knows nothing about you and vice-versa. Don’t let her words wear you down. It ain’t worth it.”

A warm body wrapped around him, “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

Din’s forehead made contact with his own and it was something occurring quite often, “What is that?”

“What’s what?”

“That forehead touch you keep doing.”

“A Keldabe kiss.”

“A Mando thing?”

“Yeah.”

Cobb smiled and their noses brushed, “I like it.” He tilted his head down enough so he could kiss Din and the Mandalorian returned the kiss before tucking his head under Cobb’s chin.

Some part of Cobb could get used to this, and he’s sure Din could, too.

-

Din wakes with something warm pressed against him and feels small puffs of air on his neck. Everything goes into overdrive as he realises where he is, and who it is curled around him. He lifts the hand not trapped by Cobb’s body and feels the scarf still around his eyes and that calms Din only slightly. He doesn’t know why the thought of someone seeing him without his helmet still rings alarm bells. If everything he’d been told was a lie, being helmetless shouldn’t be a problem. But it’s all Din has known, as reassuring as Cobb's words had been.

The Marshal shifts only slightly, and Din pulls him tighter on instinct as he forces himself back to sleep, his mouth curving upward in a smile.

-

Cobb is awake first, the Child tucked under his arm. Something smells good and Din’s stomach rumbles. He takes his helmet and secures it on his head as he walks out into the dining area. He notices Cobb has the red bandana around his neck and still no shirt on, which Din takes as a sign he didn’t look. There was something else around his neck, totally obscured by the red scarf, but it glinted in the lights of Cobb’s dwelling and Din made a mental note to ask about it later. Din also finds it hard to pay attention to anything other than Cobb Vanth right now. His mouth runs dry just thinking about—.

“Mornin’,” Cobb’s voice pulls him out of a potentially dangerous daydream and puts a plate in front of him and loads it with… pancakes. “The kid’s already eaten, he’s like a vacuum. Gonna run out of food if I ain’t careful.” He chuckles and Din relaxes. “I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.” 

Din doesn’t mind the view at all, looking Cobb up and down under his helmet. 

“Morning,” is all Din can say as he looks at Cobb and down at the pancakes he can’t eat yet. But he does take the drink with a straw placed in it and sips at the juice. “They gave me information to lead me to a Jedi.” That was information Din had left out, not meaning too.

“Well, I suppose that’s a good thing,” Cobb turns to him and his expression is unreadable for such an expressive man, almost like he's frozen. "You alright?" he finally asks.

Din sighs and nods, “Thank you for last night. Your words weren't lost on me I just—” he took a deep breath. "I still doubt that I'm a true Mandalorian." 

“As far as I’m aware, anyone can be a Mando.”

Din suddenly feels small, like a child again, completely lost, “What if I’m not?”

Cobb sits and faces Din and there’s a hand on his thigh, “There’s a library in Mos Eisley. It was hidden when the Empire invaded so they couldn’t destroy it. I’ll bet there’s more information in there to help you. We can go after you’ve eaten. I’ll comm Peli from here and see if her hangar is free.”

“That sounds fine.”

“Perfect. I’ll let you eat.”

Din doesn’t take his helmet off until Cobb’s bedroom door shuts and he eats as quickly as he can.

-

The Razor Crest sputters to Mos Eisley, Cobb’s starting to think they’re gonna drop out of the air any minute, but Din keeps saying he’s got this. They land in Peli’s hangar with a thud and the Crest powers down without permission and Din swears. The Child giggles off to his left. At least someone found humour in this. 

“I’m sure she still could’ve come to us,” Cobb said offhandedly and Din glares at him from under his helmet. 

Din picks up the kid as they leave the cockpit, “I didn’t want to put her out.”

“She was the one who offered,” Cobb points out and it makes Din almost grin. They’re bickering. This is new for him. 

They exit the Crest, jumping down from the hangar door which, once again, only opened halfway. Din wordlessly throws a pouch full of credits at Peli that he and Cobb divvied up before flying here. It was more like hopping in mid-air. 

“Oh my, good mornin’ to you too, Mando,” Peli grins at Cobb and punches his arm as they walk past. Din knows she’ll do her best, so he’s not fussed with wasting time talking to her. He watches as Cobb hands her the Child and she takes him immediately. “Well ain’t this a turn of events, Vanth.”

Cobb winks at her, “Don’t I know it.”

Din looks between the two as they walk out of the hangar. He doesn’t question it further, focused on following Cobb to where this library is. He likes to think he knows Mos Eisley quite well but obviously not well enough. 

“How do you know about this place?” Din asks him to fill the silence. They still haven’t spoken about what happened between them and he doesn’t know when to bring it up with Cobb. 

Cobb slows to walk beside Din, “I grew up in Mos Eisley, this is where we’d go as kids to learn about the rest of the galaxy. Mandalore used to be one of the most powerful planets in the Outer Rim. Not even the Hutts fucked with ‘em.”

“And now?” 

“Not so much.”

Din thinks they’ve been walking forever in this heat when they stop at a building entrance completely unremarkable. Cobb pushes the door panel in a strange sequence, and it slides open. They walk through and down two flights of stairs before reaching the bottom. They’re stopped by a droid who grumbles as it stands up. 

“Kriff. Not this again,” Cobb approaches the droid. “I’ve already been through this.”

If droids could roll their eyes, Din is sure this one would’ve, “And you’ll go through it again.” The droid pauses to talk but instead lays its eyes on Din instead. “Ah, a Mandalorian. And what is your clan?”

“Mudhorn,” Din speaks up. 

“You may enter,” the droid steps to the side and lets both men in. 

“Huh, that's new,” Cobb looks surprised and hands the credits to a small creature. She leads them to a computer terminal. “Thanks, Shiin.” The Marshal pulls the chair out for Din to sit. “Anything on Mandalore should be on here.”

Din watches as Cobb wanders around the library, leaving him to search the database. The screen is grainy, and Din has to use his visor to enhance some of the text. He skims through most of Mandalore’s history, stops to read about the Darksaber and Tarre Vizsla. And the Death Watch… those who rescued him and raised him in their Fighting Corps. Din had no idea who they really were. Anyone and anything can mold a young and impressionable mind, and Din realises they did just that. 

The dots connected for him, the way he acted toward Bo-Katan and her team, the way he recoiled toward Cobb taking off the helmet. And yet during his whole time training under the Watch, completing the _Resol'nare_ , he never felt like he didn't belong. 

“Found anything?” Cobb asks quietly off to his left, a book in his hand halfway open. 

“I was rescued by the Death Watch,” Din sighs and all he wants to do is hurl something across the room. He’s frustrated. “They tried to divide Mandalore during the Clone Wars. And succeeded by the looks of it.” Din had never been to Mandalore himself but he knew whatever history of it the Watch had taught them. "They conveniently left this part out during our teachings."

Cobb doesn't let his expression betray him, “That doesn’t sound too good.”

Din turns off the terminal and stands, “We need to find this Jedi. I think they can help me and possibly lead me to more Mandalorian’s.” He freezes at the use of we and hopes Cobb ignores it. Judging by his grin, he definitely heard it. 

“Let’s go then.”

The two men speed walk through Mos Eisley back to hangar 3-5 and find Peli still working on the ship, the Child placed in what looks like a nice new pram floating there. He looks up at Din and lifts his arms up to be picked up. Din does just that, holding his child close to his chest. 

“Peli, is the Crest ready to fly?” Din works on tethering the new pram to his bracer. 

“Well the durasteel is all reinforced so your hull shouldn’t split on ya’,” She slaps the side of the Crest. “I got rid of whatever that Mon Calamari did. She’ll make hyperspace.”

“Thank you, Peli,” the Crest’s hangar door opens all the way just as smoothy as it used to, and Din starts walking up but there’s no footsteps behind him, only the pram hovering up beside him. He turns to find Cobb standing down the bottom. “Are you coming?”

Cobb can’t stop the grin from forming on his face, “You mean it?”

Din nods and the Marshal walks up to meet him, a hand resting on the side of Din’s helmet, and he presses his forehead against Din’s helmet. He could feel his cheeks heating up and was glad the helmet hid that. 

They both waved to Peli as the ramp retracts and the door closes. He places the kid back into his new pram and faces Cobb. Din’s hands reach up for his helmet, fingers curling under the beskar. 

Cobb stops him, his hands covering Din’s, “Don’t.” Din is confused, he thought this is the right thing to do. “You're still not in the right frame of mind. I'd hate if you did something you'd regret.”

They’re both quiet, the Child looking back and forth between the two. 

“I _want_ to do this,” Din said, confident that yes, he wants this helmet off. To be free to make his own decisions for his own Clan.

"I can't tell you 'no',” Cobb was glad Din never questioned how he knew the man was still conflicted about the whole situation. He didn't know _how_ to explain it to him. Someone so sheltered from certain things. "Kriff I can't tell you what to do _at all_. I think you've had enough of people doin' that."

Din took a deep breath, and took he and Cobb's hands away from his helmet, "You're right." He hesitated for a moment. "I'll go start the Crest for take off."

"Good idea." 

Din takes the Child out of the pram and places him in the little hammock above the sleeping space, closing the door. Cobb follows him up to the cockpit and they both buckle up. A hand gripped his shoulder as the ship lifted off the ground, climbing up to atmo. 

"We'll sort this out," Cobb said quietly. "You're not alone, y'know."

Din turns around to face him and smiles under his helmet, "I know."

It felt right, being next to Cobb as the Crest flew them to Corvus. It just felt right. And for once Din didn’t feel so alone in the galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enhance *click* enhance *click* enhance... any inaccuracies please @ me, it's been a while since i've watched TCW and rebels  
> thanks peter gabriel and duran duran for gettin this one out  
> a bit longer since i'm away this week and i'll see yawl for the next adventure
> 
> thanks for reading marshmando nation ♥


	5. the beskar'gam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short visit to navarro to help out some old friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grogu: if i cannot go with one violent father, i will go with other :)

Nevarro felt off and when Cobb voiced his concerns as they disembarked the Crest, Din waved it off and said they were in friendly company. That wasn't the issue. Cara Dune had approached Cobb after they landed, watching Din walk off with the man who introduced himself as Greef Karga, talking about a bounty and earning some credits. They headbutted softly, which was becoming a habit, and he handed Cobb the child in his knapsack, preferring to leave the new pram on the Razor Crest. He hated to see Din leave but _damn_ if it wasn’t a sight. Cobb smiled to himself. 

“You were a Marshal, huh?” Cara spoke up as he followed her further into town. 

Cobb snorted softly, “I suppose so. Not much to be a Marshal of out where I lived.” 

“Well, since they’re going off on their own,” she turned to him, crossing her arms. “I figure you’re not the kinda guy who likes to just sit around. So, I have a job, if you’re interested.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“Yeah, that’s what we’ll be doing plenty of.”

Cara explained on the way that a group of Aqualish had taken up camp down in the old tunnels beneath the town. She said that it used to be a covert for Mandalorians to come and go, to hide out from anyone who would see them harm. Now it was completely abandoned, and Cara tried her best to keep others out in case they wanted to come back. She highly doubted it but now with Navarro liberated and under their watch, they might. 

“Din used to operate from here with the guild,” Cara’s voice went quiet as they descended into the tunnels. Cobb’s heart was thumping against his chest, he could sense the others down here just up ahead. “They hid here until Din got in deep banthashit after taking the kid.”

“So, they helped out one of their own?” Cobb moved the child in his knapsack further around his back as he pulled his blaster pistol out of its holster. “And now the kid is his. What happened to the covert?”

Cara held up a signal to stop, “We don’t know. Greef and I assume most of them left the planet and went back into hiding. The Armorer was the last one here when the Empire attacked.”

“You think they killed them?”

“I dunno. It takes a lot to kill a Mandalorian.”

They both fell silent on approach as the noise from the Aqualish got louder. Cobb could only just make out what they were saying and nothing of it was of importance. General banter. He did pick up when one of them said ‘Mandalorian’ and that concerned Cobb enough to get rid of them. When all three of their backs were turned Cara dashed across the doorway to the other side, facing Cobb. They seemed to notice the movement, all of them reaching for their own blasters. One of them started approaching their position and Cara just nodded at Cobb. 

He raised his blaster and they started shooting, pushing they way inside the room. It was hotter than the tunnels themselves, pure lava flowing into whatever was in the middle of the room. All three of them were disposed of and Cara started searching their belongings. 

“What’s the real reason why we barged in on their party?” Cobb holstered his blaster. 

Cara grunted as she lifted up a bag from the floor, dropping it on a makeshift table they had set up, “I got a tip that they had stolen some beskar the Mando’s left behind.”

Cobb continued to walk around the room, “I don’t see any—” his foot hit something solid and metal. “Ow!” the child giggled, and Cobb swung him back around to the front. There was a black bag at his feet with something shiny poking out of it. Cobb zipped open the bag and there laid the armor. “Found it.”

“Everything else here is worthless, take the bag. We’ll bring it back to Din,” she helped him carry the bag out from the covert and back up to where they were staying. “Thanks for that.” Cara held out her hand and Cobb shook it. 

“No problem,” they placed the armor on the floor of the living room. “Din’ll be pleased we found this.”

Cara eyed him and she hesitated to speak, “Is… is Din okay?”

“He’s goin’ through a rough patch, right now,” Cobb sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew Din was getting there, getting better. But he had Cobb’s help this time. “He’ll be okay.”

“Sure. Of course.”

Cara left and Cobb took the child out of his knapsack, “now, my friend, let’s get you some grub and a shower. How ‘bout that?” The child grabbed his nose and murmured. “Then we can wait for your dad to get back.”

Cobb filled the small sink with warm water and placed the child in there to splash around while he made them something to eat. The place was well stocked up before their arrival it seemed, and Cobb was thankful Din still had friends in the galaxy he could rely on. Din had exasperatedly explained the kid’s weird eating habits to Cobb and was trying to accommodate for that but sometimes ration bars was all he had on board the Crest. 

They sat and ate, the child more so playing with his food than eating it, but Cobb only had to tell him once to stop and he listened. The Marshal liked the kid (liked his daddy even more) and he felt content around him. Cobb hoped that the child felt the same and something in the back of his mind told him that yes, he did. 

Cobb stared at the bag and unzipped it, pulling the helmet out. It was a shiny gunmetal grey, darker than Din’s, and the T-visor was red. The child patted the helmet. “Oh, you think I should try it on?” he just blinked at Cobb. “It wouldn’t hurt, would it? We don’t even have to tell him.” The kid giggled. He slipped it over his head and the display inside lit up. “This one fits, at least.” 

The child lifted his arms and Cobb picked him up. His little hands rested on the front of the helmet, so Cobb tilted his head forward only slightly and the kid seemed happy with that. He put the child back down onto the bed and took the helmet off, packing it away back into the bag and zipping it up. 

Something tingled up the back of Cobb’s neck as he settled the child down in a small nest of blankets. He took his blaster out of the holster and held it tightly as he approached the front door of the dwelling. Cobb had locked the door when they had got back from helping Cara Dune. A safety precaution for the child. He held the blaster up and quickly unlocked it door. 

As it slid open, he was met with…

“Din?” Cobb brought the pistol down. “Wha—” 

“Where’s the kid?” the Mandalorian pushed past him and straight to the bedroom where the small child was asleep. 

Cobb grabbed his arm and pulled him back, “Shh! I just got him to sleep and you come barging in here. What’s wrong?” he took his hand off Din’s arm, the other man looking like he could jump out of his beskar. 

“We destroyed an Imperial base. They had these…” Din paused and watched the kid. “They were using the Child’s blood for experiments.”

“ _Kriff_ ,” Cobb was speechless. 

“We need to leave,” Din moved to go back to the room when his boot knocked the bag of armor, “what’s this?” 

Cobb picked it up and put it on the small dining table, “Beskar. Some Aqualish stole it, so we stole it back. It belongs with a Mandalorian.” Cobb made a point and poked Din in his breastplate. “It belongs with you.”

A slow smile crept onto Din’s face and Cobb found himself wrapped up in a hug, “Thank you.” He knew the man wasn’t saying that about the beskar, but about Cobb believing in Din. The Marshal always would. 

The helmet hissed as Din raised it slightly and their lips met in a kiss briefly before they started to pack up the room. Din slid his helmet back on and took the beskar while Cobb gently lifted the kid up and cradled him to make sure he’d stay asleep. They walked as quickly as possible to the Razor Crest and Din tapped his vambrace, the ships hangar door opening for them. 

“Where are we headed?” Cobb asked as he put the child in his little hammock. 

“Corvus. Where the Jedi is,” Din closed the bay door and climbed up to the cockpit, Cobb right behind him. The Crest came to life and was barely off the ground before the comms lit up. 

/ _two tie-fighters inbound_ / Greef’s voice filled the cockpit. 

“Buckle in.”

Cobb sat to Din’s left and clipped himself in, holding whatever he could as the ship took off abruptly, chasing two tie-fighters. Cobb had never seen one up close, usually the troopers came down to Tatooine on transport ships, so this was new. When some of his friends went off to join the Rebellion, a few had become X-Wing pilots and would occasionally comm. Most of them telling Cobb how annoying it was to fight tie-fighters. Stuff he could only dream about, being up there in the stars, and now he got the chance to. 

Din managed to shoot one down and went after the other. Cobb soon learnt that the Mandalorian flies the way he fights: recklessly. He still wasn’t used to flying and Cobb felt like it was more than the cockpit spinning as Din zeroed in on the last tie-fighter. Once it exploded, Din levelled the Crest back out and Greef commed them to say thanks. A shrill cry from down in the hangar got both of their attention. 

“We’ll see you both soon,” Din responded back, he turned to look at Cobb. “We have a situation up here.” 

/ _travel safe, the both of you!_ / 

The minute the Crest cleared atmo Din pushed the ship into hyperdrive toward Corvus. The jump was just another thing Cobb would have to get used to. He followed Din back down to where the kid was, now wide awake, and the minute he saw Din his hands shot out. 

“It’s okay, ad’ika,” Din softly patted the child on the back and his whining turned into babbling. Completely content between the two men. 

Cobb’s hand gently stroked one of his long ears, “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Have you had a look at the armor?”

“Nah, we left it in the bag,” Cobb half lied. 

“We’ll have to see if there’s any clan markings on it,” Din bit his lip under his helmet. “If there’s not, it means no one will come looking for it. You could… possibly keep it.”

“Become a Mandalorian?”

Din nodded. 

“Where do I sign up?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a little adventure before the big stuff kicks in, this takes place around the time they attack the imperial base but it happens off camera  
> sorry this took me so long work has been so busy but i promise the next chapter is a DOOZY but it may take a while bc i wanna get it right before i post it bc yawl deserve nothin' but quality  
> We’ll get to the resol’nare later 
> 
> thanks for reading love y'all ♥♥


	6. the jetiise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> din and cobb find ahsoka, and another unexpected jedi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> closes eyes and hits post  
> sorry for the extreme delay getting this updated. here's a monster of a chapter that i struggled with heaps on the way i wanted this story to go bc i had this planned out from the beginning and then i was like "ugh is this just a deus ex machina will ppl still wanna read this ???" but i'm committed to finishing this regardless 
> 
> anyway, i hope everyone enjoys it and i love yawl thank you for reading! ♥♥

**CORVUS**

Corvus came into view through the transparisteel of the Razor Crest’s cockpit, Din started the landing sequence, the Crest groaning as it shook going through atmo. There was a soft jingle behind Din that got louder as Cobb climbed up the ladder, the Child tucked under his arm. He seemed content with Cobb, never complained once whenever Din had to hand him over. Din supposes he’s lucky, in a way, that they’ve found someone they can both trust. And Din hoped that would remain true. 

Even if he hasn’t given Cobb a reason to trust him. 

The Marshal hid his disheartened look poorly every time Din slid the helmet back on after they’d kiss, or Din would feel comfortable enough to lift it up to eat something. 

Habit.

One Din might never break. 

The voices in his head shouting at him to never take it off again, to protect himself and his identity. This was the way. If the Empire remained a threat to all Mandalorians, this was the only way. Yet Din would look at Cobb and all his anxieties would dissipate. He felt content for the first time in decades.

Din would think about when Cobb told him in the dark, cramped space of the bunk, barely a whisper, that he was a patient man. Din’s heart sank then, on the verge of telling Cobb he wasn’t worth the wait, but Cobb thought otherwise. He sees Din’s worth, when he himself may not. 

And slowly after that, after spending nights in Cobb’s arms on their way to Corvus, he was falling in love. Something Din refused himself for years.

-

The forest planet, Corvus, was a desolate and barren wasteland. The skeletons of trees which once made up the forest, the stale air that was most likely toxic, and the yellow hue that shrouded the overcast sky. This was a planet that is slowly dying, if not already dead. Large creatures roamed the dead forest, brittle wood snapping easily in their jaws. There was a bellowing in the distance, its echo so blood-curdling it made the hairs on the back of Cobb’s neck stand up. He was on edge, jumpy from every sound that passed his ears, and he could tell Din was, too. Both men walked close together, not straying from the other’s side, the Child between them in his knapsack, safe.

Something twisted in Cobb’s gut. Something oppressive, and perhaps the reason why Corvus no longer looked like the lush forest it used to in the archives on Tatooine. 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Cobb broke the silence, his voice distorted by the helmet’s vocoder. They edged closer to what should be Calodan, the city surrounded by a thick, imposing wall, that shouted ‘ _leave_ ’ at Cobb. He’s glad Din let him wear the armor they found on Nevarro despite not yet taking what Din called the Resol’nare, the rite of passage to allow him to wear it. Cobb’s glad the extenuating circumstances let Din be laxer on the rules of his people. 

“You said that on Nevarro,” Din pointed out. 

“And was I wrong?”

“No.”

“Exactly,” Cobb looked down at the kid who had hid himself under Din’s cape. He could feel it too, it seemed. “We shouldn’t stay here long.”

Din shifted the child further out of view in the knapsack, “If we find this jetii, we won’t need to.” Figures dressed in black appeared and watched them as they stopped at the metal gate. Din noted this was the only way in and out. He regretted leaving his jetpack behind. “Just let me do the talking. If things to sideways, you take the kid and get back to the Crest.” Din said only loud enough for Cobb to hear through their helmet comms. 

Cobb nodded and copied Din’s body language, staying as stoic as possible, knowing full well that this isn’t how Din really is. He had no idea if this is what all Mandalorians were like and had an inkling it was a part of some self-preservation tactic, but Din was Cobb’s only source on that front, however unreliable. Though, it wasn’t at all Din’s fault. He just hoped one day they would make it to Mandalore. 

The visor lit up as another life-sign approached them. This man was different, in black Imperial armor carrying a shotgun. Clearly in charge here. “Two Mandalorians,” he said down at them, somewhat surprised. “State your business.”

Din shifted only slightly, taking his hand away from his blaster pistol, “We’ve been tracking for a few days. Looking for a layover.”

“Nice armor. You hunters, then?”

“That’s right.”

“Guild?”

“Last we checked.”

The man didn’t move for a beat until he waved a hand up, “Open the gate.” He disappeared as the other guards moved about on top of the wall. 

“I don’t think the Jedi is in this city,” Cobb said as the gates groaned as they slid open with a metallic scrape. 

“What makes you say that?” Din checked on the child before covering him with his cape again. 

Cobb shrugged, “Something about these walls. The Jedi isn’t in here, because these walls are designed to keep them out.”

Din thought he was being subtle by moving closer to Cobb as they walked into Calodan, but Cobb noticed, “You were right. I don’t like this, either.”

“We’ll ask around and if no one knows, we’ll leave.”

“Something tells me it’s not going to be that easy,” Din tracked the guards with his visor as they walked, following them. 

Their hands found each other briefly, Din squeezing Cobb’s hand before letting go, and that was reassurance enough that they were in this together. 

The so-called city was nothing more than a derelict town. It reminded Cobb of Mos Pelgo more than anything. People shifted away from them as they walked past, windows and doors of dwellings slamming shut. The two helmeted men looked at each other and continued through. 

Din approached a stall and tried to talk to the vendor, but she turned her back and ignored them. The feeling in Cobb’s stomach grew worse the longer they remained here. When they tried talking to another resident they were approached by the guards. 

“The Magistrate wants to see you,” one of them said, blaster pointed at Din. 

They both go to move but the second guard holds Cobb back, “Not you.”

Din grabs Cobb’s arm where the vembrace ends, “No. He comes with me or we leave.”

“Very well.”

The guard backed off and led them to this Magistrate. Cobb looked at Din from under his helmet and the other man just shrugged at him as they were led to the compound the Magistrate lives in.

-

Cobb had to hold in a laugh at the state of this Magistrate’s living conditions. Of course, the Imp’s would live in luxury while the people around them suffered. It made the scar on the back of Cobb’s neck tingle as the assassin droids watched them. Just like the scum of Tatooine lived in luxury while everyone else had to fight just to stay alive. All Imp’s were the same in Cobb’s book and they deserved nothing.

“A Jedi plagues me,” She held a spear and when Din took it, Cobb’s mouth went dry at the thought of the man wielding the spear. “Find her and kill her, and it’s yours.” Din brought the spear down onto his vembrace, the ringing echoing through the compound. “Pure beskar.” The Magistrate smiled something wicked at them both.

Cobb suddenly wanted to know where the Imp procured it and how many people she had to kill to get it. He took a deep breath, settling himself. 

“Mandalorian’s are the sworn enemy of the Jedi, this shouldn’t be too difficult for either of you.”

Cobb wished he’d told Din earlier when he had every chance to, the crystal around his neck warm, as guilt set in. It was too late now. 

“Deal.”

They left Calodan, tracking the last known coordinates of this Jedi, who Din only realised now he never told Cobb who it was exactly they were looking for. The Child babbled and gurgled between them as they walked further into the forest, the HUD in Din’s helmet showing them getting closer to where, he assumes, Ahsoka is, if she really is the Jedi the Magistrate is after. The Jedi are a subject Din isn’t well versed in and looking back on it now, the Watch made sure of that. 

The dots align on the display of the map and Din takes the Child out of his knapsack, placing him on a rock, “This is where the jetii is supposed to be.”

Cobb doesn’t move and Din watches as his hand moves away from his blaster, “They’re around.” The man doesn’t elaborate. 

Something snaps in the distance and they both turn to it. The noise from nothing more than one of those creatures but as Din turns around, a hooded figure descends on him. Lightsabers roar to life as they meet a beskar vembrace, Din’s wrist suddenly white hot as he pushes back against the saber. Din watches as Cobb does nothing more than roll out of the way before Ahsoka (he assumes) targets where he was standing, as if he could predict where she was going to slice the blades. He needs to subdue her before someone gets hurt. 

The whipcord extends out, circling around her but the jetii is quicker, leaping up over a branch and pulling Din up as she lands. He cuts it just as she goes back to Cobb, his vembrace taking the brunt of two lightsabers. 

“Ahsoka Tano!” Din yells out and they both freeze. “Bo-Katan sent us!” 

The sabers retract and Ahsoka stands there, looking between the two Mandalorians, and hooks her sabers on her belt. “Whatever you’re here for, I hope it’s about him.” She points behind them, toward the Child. 

“It is,” Din rushes over to the kid and picks him up. “We need your help.” 

-

Cobb took first watch, he felt too antsy to sleep, a sort of foreboding was distracting him. Ahsoka’s staring didn’t help make matters any easier. He wondered, for a moment, if she recognised him, but it had been decades since the clones attacked. The Force tugged at him the same way it did when Din strode on into Mos Pelgo’s cantina that day. 

It now seemed like it was a distant memory. 

“He doesn’t know, does he?” Ahsoka softly asked. 

Cobb sighed and nodded, “You’re the first Jedi he’s ever met, I don’t expect him to know.” He looked over at Din, asleep with the kid wrapped up in his arms. “That kid is so alive in the Force, when Din first came to Mos Pelgo I almost gave myself away then and there. I’ve had to hide it for so long, I almost forgot what it felt like.”

“You disconnected?”

“Not quite, no,” Cobb admitted. He knew it would be dangerous after the Empire rose to power, to use the Force, to use his saber. So, he broke it down and kept the crystal. The saber parts in a pouch and the crystal around his neck. “I hid it.” 

“And survived.”

“I remembered everything I was taught as a padawan and held onto those memories. I blocked out everything else. All the pain and loss. It hurt.”

Ahsoka sat on the flat of a rock’s surface and crossed her legs, “It did. It still does.”

“I don’t know if I want that life anymore. Or that weapon.”

“Being a Mandalorian isn’t any easier. It is just as dangerous. Beskar or saber, there’s no difference.”

“To me there is.”

Ahsoka pursed her lips and Cobb half knew what question was coming, “Who saved you?”

“A bounty hunter, I paid them all the credits I had just to get me out of Republic space. I knew Hutt Space was off limits for most factions and figured Tatooine would do.”

“Tatooine seems to be the place for all lost Jedi. How far did you make it?”

“I should have been a Jedi Knight but my Master was… killed on a campaign. I fled.”

“You’ve made peace with your fear and anger. You haven’t let it control you,” Ahsoka just hummed, shifting in her spot. “Sometimes, when we are desperate, we do things we never thought possible.”

“One of the lucky ones,” Cobb winced and hoped Ahsoka wouldn’t take that the wrong way. She was wrong, in a way, he did let his anger control him in the past. There was blood on his hands, things he was forced to do to stay alive, and it wasn’t even from Inquisitors. Things he wasn't proud of but they certainly made him who he is today, sitting here with another alive Jedi.

“Indeed you are.”

“I left that life behind when I cut off my padawan braid, stopped following the only rules I’ve ever known. Maybe that’s what saved me, I adapted, giving up the one code only to follow another,” Cobb could feel Grogu’s Force signature starting to stir from his sleep. “Now I am truly free.”

“Free?”

“To make my own decisions, not stuck on a dustbowl as my only means to stay alive.”

Ahsoka smiled at him, “I said I couldn’t train Grogu… _But_ I can finish your training. We need more Jedi in the galaxy to help restore order.”

Cobb went to answer but froze at another Force signature that was all too familiar to him now and looked right at Din’s helmeted head, watching them. He looked between Ahsoka and his companion and didn’t know what to say.

-

Din paced, his belt clinking softly against his armour. The child—Grogu sitting with Ahsoka, meditating. Cobb busy tinkering with his vembrace that was broken during their short fight upon meeting Ahsoka. Din wasn’t angry, he was just frustrated. That Cobb didn’t tell him, and he knew the man didn’t have to. His comment on Mandalorian’s when they first met on Tatooine made sense now. Everything Cobb had said or done all suddenly made sense. Din wasn’t sure where they stood, he certainly doesn’t hate the man, doesn’t believe that they were supposed to be mortal enemies that everyone around them is saying they’re supposed to be. 

A Jedi and a Mandalorian. 

Ahsoka’s words kept repeating themselves in Din’s dead like a cruel mantra. The look on Cobb’s face when a second chance had presented itself was almost enough to shatter him, at the time, when he thought he would have to say goodbye to the both on Corvus. 

They had spoken over a small breakfast on their plan to liberate Calodan and get the spear, which belonged with Din’s people. As he turned to pace back toward their small camp Cobb was staring right at him, expecting Din to just sit down and talk. He didn’t want to. He just wanted to leave Corvus and find Grogu’s people. 

Cobb was—is Grogu’s people. He sighed.

Din eventually gave up pacing and sat, watching as rocks and twigs floated calmly around the two meditating. He could hear Cobb shift beside him, but the man made no move to come any closer, respecting Din’s space, he assumed. 

“I didn’t tell you for a reason,” Cobb spoke softly so not to disturb their surroundings. “You may not have been taught about Galidraan but I was. I— I don’t see you as an enemy, I never did. You don’t have to talk to me or even acknowledge me, but I just want you to know that this part of me, my past, is not so easily shared. Even with those who I trust with my life.”

Tears prickled Din’s eyes and all he could muster was a nod. Cobb seemed satisfied with that answer as he fiddled with his vembrace. He groaned in frustration and almost threw it to the ground. Din unclipped his own with a working whipcord and handed it wordlessly to Cobb, holding out his other hand to exchange them. He could feel the heat rise to his cheeks at what this meant but it was better for Cobb to have someone who knew how to fix the whipcord than him ruin it entirely. 

“Oh,” Cobb took the bracer, their fingers brushing intentionally. “Thanks.”

-

“Were you telling the truth?” Cobb said, standing on the ramp of the Razor Crest as Din secured Grogu in his little hammock. 

Ahsoka smiled and nodded, “I was.” 

“I—” Cobb hesitated and looked back at Din. “I can’t stay. I have to help Grogu first.”

“As the Force wills it. Come back when you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Ahsoka.”

The Jedi folded her hands in her robes and walked off back toward Calodan. The crystal around Cobb’s neck felt warm and he brought a hand up to grip it for a moment before getting ready for take-off. Ahsoka said to take Grogu to Tython, a planet he hasn’t been to since his Master took him there as a padawan. It was one of the many planets sacred to the Jedi. 

Din still hadn’t said a word to him and suddenly the armor, the borrowed vembrace, felt like it was choking him. Like he wasn’t supposed to be wearing it anymore, but Cobb didn’t know if taking it off would be offensive to Din so he kept it on, despite the horrid feeling in his stomach. Though, something told Cobb it wasn't from the beskar'gam, it was from what lies ahead of them. 

Once they made atmo Din stood and left the cockpit so Cobb stayed, and for the first time in decades, decided to meditate. To reintroduce himself to the Force properly. And once he got the chance to, to craft his saber once more. 

A Jedi. And a Mandalorian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can kinda guess how this is gonna end and i've purposefully set it up that way. i just hope it makes sense bc i have a habit of writing things out of order. i decided to split this chapter into two now so it should be 8 chapters !
> 
> on an unrelated note i wrote this listening to the black sails score. anyway would anyone read a pirate au lol ??
> 
> thanks for reading pardners ♥♥

**Author's Note:**

> MANDO NATION HOW WE FEELIN?  
> chapter 11 obliterated me  
> this is cliche as shit i had 'the promise' by when in rome and 'alone' by heart on REPEAT my friends  
> it is all about the yearning marshmando nation  
> yea there's gonna be more ;)
> 
> thanks for reading pardners ♥


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